Broom Blossom Festival & European Day of Parks in Eifel National Park
We celebrate the “gold of the Eifel”, the common broom, in full bloom, the European Day of Parks and the 20th anniversary of the National Park suopporters’ association on May 20th and May 21st 2023. The venue for the festival is the Dreiborn plateau in the National Park, where the golden broom is in full bloom at the end of May. In this unique setting, a varied programme for all age groups will be offered around the broom blossom and nature conservation.
Saturday, 20 May: Light and darkness: Bonfire, astronomy, moths
On Saturday, Dreiborn will get in the mood for the broom blossom festival with an early summer evening around a campfire. The evening will be musically accompanied. Under the title “The natural night-experience and protection of darkness”, guests will also learn why the natural night needs special protection. During this new moon excursion a trained star guide will give insights into the constellations and orientation in the night sky. The topic of light pollution and its reduction is also part of this exciting excursion. At the same time, a nature guide will be observing the moths, which will be attracted by a light dummy he has set up and can be viewed by the guests under expert guidance.
Sunday morning from 03.00am, the astronomy workshop “Stars without Borders” offers a sky observation. Astonomer Harald Bardenhagen will guide those interested into the depths of the universe. Entertaining and informative company is guaranteed.
Sunday, 21 May: A colourful programme: Guided excursions, hikes, activities and games
Early risers start at 6 a.m. with a hike through the habitat of the red deer and are rewarded with breakfast on their return to the festival site. Throughout the day there are thematic excursions with various national park experts: These include guided tours with specialised national park forest guides, with rangers and junior rangers, as well as with the management and researchers of the national park administration. The broom blossom and many other exciting topics are the focus, such as the herbs along the way and the special features of the flora and fauna on the Dreiborn plateau. One of the tours is accompanied by a sign language interpreter.
In addition, you can go geocaching with the national park rangers in search of hidden boxes, also known as caches. It is advisable to bring a GPS device or smartphone. On a “photo safari” accompanied by an experienced National Park forest guide, those interested in photography will find the best motifs. For friends of dialect, there will be a special treat at 10 am with a Dreiborn National Park expert: A guided hike in the Eifel dialect variant of Dreiborn.
A colourful hands-on programme for young and old offers variety on the festival grounds: children can try archery, and under the guidance of wilderness trainer Hubertus Hilgers they can light fires with steel and stone. Adults can try their hand at lighting a fire with the help of a bow.
At the Fagabundinus, the information mobile of the Eifel National Park Association, there will be a great puzzle and prize competition to mark the 20th anniversary. The main prize will be presented by NRW Environment Minister Oliver Krischer.
The environmental education institution “Wildniswerkstatt” of the National Park Administration will be present as well as the “Rollende Waldschule” (rolling forest school), the BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany) and the beekeepers’ association Schleidener Tal. They offer information and hands-on activities in a variety of ways and introduce visitors to the worlds of wildcats and bees, for example.
A puppet theatre will present children with an interactive play about the animals in the National Park, which they can then choose as motifs for the children’s face painting. Musical entertainment will be provided by the local music clubs: Musikverein Concordia Dreiborn, Spielmannszug Dreiborn and Drums & Pipes. In addition, Dirk Gemünd and his group “Usem Lamäng” will provide musical accompaniment for the day. Bäckerei Möhrer and Metzgerei Scholzen from the Schleiden town area will provide regional culinary delights.
Good to know….
Arrival by public transport from Cologne or Bonn via Euskirchen to Kall railway station and from there to the broom blossom festival by bus (Waldlinie 815, departure Kall at 10.00 a.m.) to Dreiborn church (approx. 300 metres to the festival site). Departure 4.28 pm from Dreiborn church (Waldlinie 815).
Almost all activities are free of charge. For the early morning hikes and the sky observation, registration is absolutely necessary because of the breakfast included (Tourist Info Schleiden-Gemünd). Breakfast costs 14.00 euros and will be charged in advance at the time of registration. The festival site and starting point for the guided walks is in Schleiden-Dreiborn (Georgstraße, near the Rothirsch viewing gallery) on the edge of the Eifel National Park. Parking is available near the festival site and is signposted – it is not possible to drive right up to the festival site.